by Paul Ormond
“Greetings, brother,” the voice said as the face of a bald-headed man with a series of star-like symbols tattooed along the side of his face appeared on the screen. “You have traveled far. Have you brought along some friends?”
“I have brought my family and a bountiful harvest,” Ramon said.
“It has been a fruitful year, my brother,” the man said. “We welcome you home with open arms.”
“Our hearts are filled with joy and we lay our guitars at your feet,” Ramon said.
“Your song fills the wind and soars across the heavens,” the man said. “We open our hearts to your beautiful voice.”
“What the hell was all that?” Sanchez asked after the video feed cut out and the screen went blank.
“He says they will open the gate when we approach, but we must cease all radio chatter. Others are listening in,” Ramon said while he guided them toward the ground. “We also need to get low or we’ll miss the opening.”
“The opening? We’re not going through a portal or anything, are we?” Sanchez asked.
“Not a portal,” Ramon said, banking to the right. “We’re going underground.”
As they came out of the turn, a large rock wall loomed before them. Accelerating, Ramon guided them at the wall at an alarming speed.
“What the hell are you doing, Ramon?” Sanchez shouted. “Pull up, pull up.”
“Panic much,” Ramon said, nearing the wall.
“We’re gonna crash,” Sanchez shouted before they slammed into the wall.
Releasing himself from the fetal position, Sanchez righted himself and looked around. They were traveling down a wide rectangular tunnel lit by a series of industrial lights hanging from the ceiling.
“You son of a bitch,” Sanchez shouted. “You could’ve warned us you were gonna do that.”
“I wanted to surprise you,” Ramon said. “Plus the look on your face was priceless.”
“So this is funny to you?” Sanchez asked. “I almost crapped my pants and had a heart attack.”
“Yes, that is funny to me. Do you need a fresh diaper?” Ramon said as they neared a large steel door at the end of the tunnel. Upon their approach, the door receded into a recess within the rock wall.
Gesturing with his hand, Ramon eased back their velocity before they passed through the opening and entered into a vast chamber filled with decrepit machinery and piles of debris.
A group of people in matching coveralls stood before the equipment waiting their arrival. Ramon banked toward the group and released his companions. Dropping to the stone floor, he disengaged his devices as the others filled in behind him. For a moment, nobody moved.
“Not really a warm welcome,” Sanchez said.
“Keep quiet,” Ramon said, eyeing the ragtag band of people starring back at them. “They’re probably just checking us out. Can’t blame ‘em for being cautious.”
“I don’t like this,” Christine said.
“Keep everything cloaked until we get it figured out,” Ramon said before he heard a clunking sound. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the metallic door closing behind them. As the plates came together, a deafening silence filled the cavernous space.
After several awkward moments, a small steel door embedded in a wall to the left of the entrance swung open, and two women wearing the same coveralls as the others stepped through the door. Planting long metallic spears into the ground, they stood arrow straight before the bald-headed man from the video chat passed through the doorway.
Striding forward with a military gait, the man approached Ramon with the two women following close behind.
“Welcome to the Underworld,” the man said while he extended a hand for Ramon to shake.
“Artim?” Ramon asked after grasped the man’s hand.
“I am indeed, and you are Ramon,” the man said, releasing his grip. “You have no idea how happy we are to have you here with us.”
“It would appear that way,” Ramon said, glancing at the group of onlookers.
“Do not let this pack of mongrels frighten you,” Artim said. “They are a pack of savages with no manners. Most of them are survivors of camp life. Defectors and dangerous miscreants, but they are loyal to our cause. Well, as loyal as we pay them.”
“I guess that is reassuring,” Ramon said.
“You guess? What kind of man talks like this? I am told you have just done a job that no one would even dream of a year ago,” Artim said. “What you did requires balls of steel. Have you got balls of steel?”
“I Guess,” Ramon said.
“Once more with the guessing, if you have balls of steel, you know you have balls of steel. You can hear them clanging when you walk,” Artim said, laughing out loud at his own joke.
“He’s got an ass made of pizza and ding dongs, if that makes a difference,” Sanchez said.
“I don’t see how that is funny,” Artim said. “Disparaging another’s appearance is a rather low form of humor. Some may consider comments like this harassment. We do not tolerate harassment in our workplace.”
“I wasn’t trying to, I mean, I didn’t mean to ...,”
“But you should see the look on your face,” Artim said as he howled with laughter. “Like we have a HR department down here.”
“So you are not going to report me?” Sanchez asked.
“You’ve already been reported,” Artim said before the group of onlookers burst into laughter. “What do you guys think? How should we punish him?”
“Cut off his balls,” a man wearing a pair of welding glasses shouted out as everyone laughed again.
“See, I told you they were a pack of savages. Who cuts off someone's balls? I think you might have crossed the line with that joke, Michail,” Artim said. “These people are our guests.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize the impact of my comments,” Michail said, dropping his head.
“This guy too,” Artim said before he laughed again. “I should cut off both of your balls for the way you’re acting.”
“I’m confused,” Sanchez said.
“I’m just busting your balls,” Artim said as everybody laughed again. “You see, that’s a good joke. We should make that bit for the company play. Somebody right all of this down and start planning for our play. Where was I? That’s right, the man with the balls of steel. The job? Did you bring the product with you?”
“We’ve got it,” Ramon said. “But what kind of assurances can you give me that all of this will be handled correctly?”
“I can’t,” Artim said as the smile on his face vanished. “But as far as I can tell, you don’t have a lot of options. You’re welcome to find another location, but last I checked the Cell only had one illegal underground smelting pit. Do you know how I came to be here in this place?”
“I’m not sure,” Ramon sputtered. “They try not to do too much back story unless anything goes sideways.”
“That’s correct,” Artim said. “I fought alongside him, you know?”
“Who?” Ramon asked.
“Our fearless leader: O’Dell Grimes,” Artim said.
“You fought alongside him?” Ramon asked. “I’ve never actually met him, but I’ve heard lots of stories.”
“How is it that you’ve never met your leader?”
“He’s in prison.”
“That would make it difficult. But you should know that O’Dell is a man I would trust with my life. I first met him in Kabul. We were stationed together with Dark River, a mercenary outfit protecting oil convoys. He saved my life on multiple occasions. We took another contract together after Afghanistan. This time it was a private contract for a wealthy businessman from Moscow. We were hired to protect his server farms, but while on the job we discovered the depth of the surveillance state and how money was changing hands between the guys at the top. O’Dell, ever the freedom fighter, convinced me it was necessary to free that man from all his money. That was the first job we pulled together. After that, things got more complicate
d. I told him he was a fool to take on MindHIve, but he wouldn’t listen. And now look what happened to him. I’ve been hiding out here ever since.”
“Are you the Bear of Belgorod?”
“The one and only,” Artim said with a laugh.
“I’ve heard about you,” Ramon said. “You are a legend.”
“Those stories are mostly embellished,” Artim said. “Everything except the ones where I get the beautiful women.”
“Now we’re talking,” Sanchez said. “Bring on the babes.”
“We do not tolerate the objectification of women in this workplace,” Artim said, his laughter all but gone.
“Sorry, my bad,” Sanchez said.
“Once again, the look on your face is just priceless,” Artim said, laughing out loud. “He fell for it again. Is he always this gullible? If so, I am going to have some fun with him. But enough banter. It is time to get down to business. You have the stuff, and you have the smelterer? I’ve heard incredible things. He must be a man of incredible skill.”
“He is not a man at all,” XiaoFan said.
“Well, what do we have here?” Artim asked.
“This is XiaoFan, and she is the master you speak of,” Ramon said.
“If she is as skilled as she is beautiful, then I am certain we are in for a treat,” Artim said, eyeing XiaoFan the way a predator eyes its next meal. “But first things first, this stuff, let me see it.”
“It’s right in front of you,” Christine said, as she gestured to the cloaked cloud hovering just behind her. With a flick of her wrist the cloak vanished, and the cavern was filled with the glowing light of the sphere.
“That is incredible,” Artim said as he looked at the spectacle in awe. “Come, we have much to prepare. There is a facility ready to house the material. We’ll store it safely, and I will show you to your quarters. After you are properly rested we shall feast on the finest delicacies of Siberia. By which I mean canned sausages and handmade vodka.”
“Sounds lovely,” Christine said as she towed the sphere after Artim.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“WE COULD PLAY a game to pass the time,” Kate said. “How about: I spy? I’ll start. I spy with my little eye something that is green.”
“We’re not playing eye spy, Kate,” Mitch said. “I would say we could play guess who’s coming for dinner, but I already know we are on the menu, so there’s not much of a point.”
“You sure know how to turn on the bitter tap, don’t you Mitch?” Kate said. “I was only trying to lighten the mood. The situation was out of our control before we got dropped off out here in the middle of nowhere. We all know we are pawns in the middle of a larger game. If we want to survive, we’ll have to play both sides. Getting caught was just a way to move things along.”
“She’s right, Mitch,” TaeJun said. “We didn’t have much of a choice.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Mitch said. “Whatever happens, this is where we are right now. I never said this was the wrong move. I just don’t see why I have to be gleeful about it. This constant gaslighting by you is driving me up the wall.”
“Gaslighting?” Kate said in exasperation. “How am I gaslighting you?”
“By playing down my emotions. Every time I get upset about something. You act like it’s no big deal. Like I’m overreacting.”
“But you are overreacting. Just like right now.”
“That’s the definition of gaslighting. We are caught in a trap, waiting to get picked up by whoever, or whatever placed it here, and you are acting like it’s no big deal.”
“It isn’t a big deal. Whenever they come along, we’ll convince them to take us to their boss, and we’ll show them what’s what.”
“Is it that simple? You’re acting like getting caught by a terrorist organization is totally fine. The fate of all of us depends on how this plays out. Doesn’t any of this bother you?”
“Not really. Besides, we’ve got Mitch Mythic on our side. What did that captain call you? The Most Dangerous Man in the Multiverse? If that guy is on our side then we shouldn’t have any problems.”
“I don’t know where any of that came from. As far as I can tell, Captain Juvius made all of that up just to mess with my head.”
“You really do think everyone is messing with your head. You know what, Mitch, If I’m a psychopath then you are a narcissist.”
“I’m not a narcissist. A narcissist is a self-obsessed egomaniac. I care about my friends.”
“But you are always the victim in every situation. That’s the thing about narcissists, they blame everybody else for what happened and the world is out to get them. Most narcissist have suffered through some type of trauma that involved them being humiliated in some way.”
“I’m not a narcissist. How is it that you know so much about all of this stuff, anyway? Are you also a psychiatrist, along with being a terrorist?”
“I’m a freedom fighter. But I went to more than enough therapists to learn everything there is to know about the anti-social personality disorder spectrum. And you, Mitch Mythic, are somewhere along that slippery slope.”
“Both of you be quiet,” TaeJun said. “I think I here something coming.”
Looking over his shoulder, Mitch scanned the bushes surrounding the trap. Before he had a chance to react, the foliage parted, and a group of fearsome figures burst through the gap. With stark white faces contrasted by black eyes, the humanoid figures rushed forward and pointed their staff-like weapons at Mitch.
More of the figures poured through openings surrounding the trap on all sides. With spears at the ready, they stood silent and eyed their catch with indifference. After a few moments, another figure passed through the gap. Similar in appearance to the others, he held what looked like a trident in his gloved hand. A red and gold cloak covered the man’s body, giving him a stately elegance that seemed out of place within the wilderness.
The man strode forward through the grid and drove his weapon into the metallic hub protruding from the ground. Twisting his wrist to the right, the hub spun along with the instrument, and the red beams suspending Mitch and his companions in the air vanished without warning. Unprepared for the fall, Mitch hit the ground with a thud, and lost the grip on his weapon. He watched as it rolled to the feet of the man holding the trident. As the others rushed in and seized their captives, the man picked up the spear and eyed its bulbous end with curiosity.
Shouting a few grunt-like orders, the man holstered his trident and wrapped his fingers around the spear before prowling forward as the soldiers searched Mitch for any other weapons.
A flash of pain tore through Mitch’s back as he felt something jab him from behind. Immobilized, he found himself hovering in the air before his captor.
Pressing a gloved finger to his neck, a hissing sound filled the air as the man’s mask pulled back over his head, revealing a dark-skinned face worn by time. A pair of venerable gray eyes looked Mitch up and down for a moment, before the man snorted and dropped his mask over his face. Turning on his heels, he barked another order and strode toward the opening in the foliage before his soldiers followed after him.
Mitch watched as Kate, TaeJun and Gaelin were led away by soldiers holding spears at their backs. Red beams shot out of the instruments and connected with the braces the soldiers had clasped around their captives’ wrists. With a jolt from behind, Mitch felt himself moving forward through the brush while the last of the soldiers pulled out of the clearing.
After passing through the branches, Mitch was led down a steep slope to a ship resembling a transport truck. It had seen better days. Spots of rust showed through the cracks along the base of the vessel and a series of holes and dents had been fixed using a patchwork of methods with varying degrees of success.
As they approached the ship a hatch lifted on the side, and the soldiers streamed into the vehicle. Mitch and the others were shoved in alongside the soldiers and placed into a small holding cell. Still unable to move, beams shot out
of the floor and held them in place as the ship lifted off with a lurch.
Kate was about to say something, but TaeJun stopped her with a hiss and a shake of his head. Mitch glared at her for a moment before glancing at the soldiers. No one seemed particularly interested in their newfound captives. Slumped in their seats, the soldiers fidgeted with their staffs or stared ahead blankly as the din of the engine and the rattling of the ship's shaky exterior filled the cabin.
After several tense minutes locked in the cage, Mitch heard the whine of the engine diminish and he felt a loss of altitude. The craft lurched again before settling to the ground. Without being commanded, the soldiers rose to their feet in unison and three guards approached the cage containing Mitch and his companions. In silence, the first soldier swung the cage open, and a spear was thrust in Kate’s direction by the second of the guards. Snarling as she was led away, Kate fought back the urge to struggle as TaeJun shook his head in her direction before he was picked up by another soldier. Mitch felt a familiar jolt as a spear slammed into his guts and he was drawn toward the door by the final soldier.
Pushed out through the opening, he passed through the mouth of a vine-covered cave. As he was led inside, he glanced over his shoulder and spotted a jagged ravine snaking its way through the forest. The craft lifted off before he crossed the threshold of the cave and shot down the ravine. It vanished out of sight as he was prodded down a rubble-strewn slope.
The stench of fungus and decay filled his nose while he descended further into the cave. With the spear pressed into his back, his captor guided him past several large boulders. He spotted a dim light, and he felt the ceiling rising overhead.
They entered a wide chamber filled with vehicles in various states of repair. Sparks flew in every direction and workers wearing masks similar to the soldiers operated torch-like devices while they fitted fresh parts onto decaying equipment.
After passing several rows of ships, the group of soldiers led by the cloaked captain stopped before a large transport.
Stomping his feet to the ground, the Captain saluted and shouted again. A rumbling sound came from underneath the ship, followed by a burst of sparks. In a cloud of dust, a masked figure slid out from under the ship and tossed a large wrench onto the deck. Flicking up the mask, the face of a dark-skinned young woman snarled at the captain before she took three steps forward and stopped.
